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11:27 am

Tue August 28, 2007

Fighting Robeson Co. Fires Near $1M

Wilmington, NC – State fire officials say it cost nearly a million dollars to fight the scores of wildfires in Robeson County.

Rain over the last few days helped in battling the wildfires that have been burning since the end of July.

The North Carolina Division of Forest Resources says 151 fires torched nearly 3,000 acres. As of Monday evening only two fires were burning in the northeast corner of Robeson County, and those fires are in the mop up stage.

Division of Forest Resources spokesperson Bill Swartley says the good news is that nobody was seriously injured.

We had just two minor injuries and they were just heat exhaustion. And for the amount of person power extended on this fire and the complexity of the fires involved that's an excellent safety record.

Swartley says there were numerous causes including lightening and debris fires that got away.